Mauritius

Speed cameras to track traffic offenders in Mauritius - (Afrique en ligne) Dec 27, 2008

2008-12-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

Port-Louis, Mauritius - The Mauritian Police have received three automatic speed cameras from the Land Transport Ministry to be used in tracking down traffic offenders.

PANA learnt Friday from the ministry that the cameras were put to use during this period of festivities.

An official at the ministry said the cameras were equipped with speed radars, a high resolution camera unit and a flashing unit.

"They will be used to track down speed limit violations and also to detect the use of hand- held cellular phones while driving, as well as non-compliance with traffic lights and other traffic signals," he said.Moreover, the law has been amended to empower the police to serve a fixed penalty notice of 2,000 rupees (about US$ 65) on a person in respect of offences detected by the speed cameras.

The official emphasised that the introduction of speed cameras came in the wake of the increasing number of fatal road accidents in the island.

According to him, an average of 140 fatal accidents has been recorded every year over the last ten years.

This year, the toll has already reached 145, of which 60 were pedestrians.

Mauritius Central Bank - Dec. 25 (Bloomberg)

2008-12-26T14:58:00.000-08:00

Mauritius Central Bank to Help Lenders Navigate Credit Squeeze
Mauritius’s central bank said it agreed to provide a total $125 million to local lenders to help address the ongoing credit crunch.

An initial disbursement of $5 million from the Special Foreign Currency Line of Credit was made to Mauritius Commercial Bank, Rundheersingh Bheenick, governor of the Bank of Mauritius, told reporters in Port Louis yesterday.

Bheenick said the bank will allow markets to determine the value of the rupee and it has no pre-determined exchange rate target. The central bank must ensure “the market functions in an orderly manner and undue volatilities are avoided,” he said.

Holiday

2008-12-24T02:47:00.000-08:00

Mauritius, a sparkling crystal in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, will fascinate you. The contrast of colors, cultures and tastes makes Mauritius so charming that the scene is set for an unforgettable holiday.

Economy

2008-12-24T02:45:00.000-08:00

Mauritius has one of the most successful and competitive economies in Africa; 2007 GDP at market prices was estimated at $6.959 billion (official exchange rate) and per capita income at $11,200 (purchasing power parity), one of the highest in Africa. The economy is based on tourism, textiles, sugar, and financial services. In recent years, information and communication technology (ICT) and seafood have emerged as important sectors of the economy, growing by an average of 40% last year. Over the past two decades, real output growth averaged just below 6% per year, leading to a more than doubling of per capita income and a marked improvement in social indicators. However, since 2002, the economy started to face some serious challenges as a result of globalization, involving the erosion of trade preferences for both textiles and sugar, two pillars of the economy. Economic growth declined to 3-4% while unemployment, government budget deficit, and public debt increased steadily.

The government that took office in July 2005 embarked on a bold economic reform program aimed at moving Mauritius from reliance on trade preferences to global competitiveness. The reform strategy, outlined in the FY 2006-2007 government budget, was designed not only to remedy fiscal weaknesses but also to open up the economy, facilitate business, improve the investment climate, and mobilize foreign direct investment and expertise. The reforms and the opening up of the economy have already started to positively impact the economy.

History

2008-12-24T02:44:00.000-08:00

While Arab and Malay sailors knew of Mauritius as early as the 10th century AD and Portuguese sailors first visited in the 16th century, the island was first colonized in 1638 by the Dutch. Mauritius was populated over the next few centuries by waves of traders, planters and their slaves, indentured laborers, merchants, and artisans. The island was named in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau by the Dutch, who abandoned the colony in 1710.

The French claimed Mauritius in 1715 and renamed it Ile de France. It became a prosperous colony under the French East India Company. The French Government took control in 1767, and the island served as a naval and privateer base during the Napoleonic wars. In 1810, Mauritius was captured by the British, whose possession of the island was confirmed 4 years later by the Treaty of Paris. French institutions, including the Napoleonic code of law, were maintained. The French language is still used more widely than English.

Mauritian Creoles trace their origins to the plantation owners and slaves who were brought to work the sugar fields. Indo-Mauritians are descended from Indian immigrants who arrived in the 19th century to work as indentured laborers after slavery was abolished in 1835. Included in the Indo-Mauritian community are Muslims (about 17% of the population) from the Indian subcontinent.

Franco-Mauritians control nearly all of the large sugar estates and are active in business and banking. As the Indian population became numerically dominant and the voting franchise was extended, political power shifted from the Franco-Mauritians and their Creole allies to the Hindus.

Geography

2008-12-24T02:39:00.000-08:00

Area: 1,865 sq. km. (720 sq. mi.), about the size of Rhode Island; 500 miles east of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean.
Dependencies: Rodrigues Island, the Agalega Islands and Cargados Carajos Shoals; Mauritius also claims sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, where U.S. Naval Support Facility at Diego Garcia is located.
Cities: Capital--Port Louis (pop. 146,319). Other cities--Beau Bassin and Rose Hill (105,377), Vacoas-Phoenix (101,789), Curepipe (82,756), Quatre Bornes (77,145).
Terrain: Volcanic island surrounded by coral reefs. A central plateau is rimmed by mountains.
Climate: Tropical; cyclone season mid-December-April.